


Orchids and Ink

by JaceRMontague



Series: 30k in 30 days [16]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Little tiny bit of Killian bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8576044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaceRMontague/pseuds/JaceRMontague
Summary: Emma is a tattooist and needs practice drawing flowers. Fortunately for her, across the street is a hidden little florist owned and run by Regina Mills.





	

‘Good morning!’ Emma said cheerfully as she entered the florist, placing a coffee down in front of Regina who was standing behind the counter.

Regina never knew whether the gorgeous blonde with the iridescent eyes and the muscles that would make anyone drool and the personality that was both brash and angry while being soft and capable of charming anyone was being sarcastic when she put the ‘Good’ in her ‘Good Morning’’s but the grin that was taking up most of the blonde’s face combined with the coffee that was resting on the countertop between a bouquet of orchids and three dozen long-stemmed red roses that were lying on their sides in the process of being de thorned convinced Regina that Emma was being genuine.

Emma took in the sight of the mass of roses in front of Regina and made a ‘O’ shape with her mouth and raised an eyebrow

‘Ooooh in trouble or proposing?’  Emma asked, as she took her camera out of her jeans pocket and took a few photos of the roses lying across the countertop from various angles, her own coffee still in her free hand as the camera clicked away.

‘The roses? From David to Mary Margret’

‘That really soppy couple? The wife’s a teacher at the pre-k round three blocks over?’

‘Uh-huh. Or. As the card says; My Snow, three dozen for three years. Forever, Your Prince Charming.’

Regina laughed as she watched her best friend pretend to gag.

‘Oh, that’s awful.’ The blonde muttered, sliding the camera back into her pocket as she sat down on the upturned bucket at the side of Regina’s counter.

‘The orchids are worse.’

‘How are the orchids worse?!’ Emma almost shouted wondering what on earth could be more awful than the sickly sweetness of the Nolan’s.

‘They’re from Killian.’

Emma paused for a moment, dumfounded that her co-worker and fellow tattoo artist knew about the hidden florist across the street from their studio.

‘And?’ Emma prompted, still lost on as to how the orchids from Killian were worse than the sop-fest ‘Prince Charming’ had just ordered for his wife.

‘They’re for you.’

‘Oh dear lord burn them now.’

‘I’m not burning them!’  
‘Put them back on display then’ Emma replied, she was not touching the flowers from Killian.

‘I shall’ Regina said with a laugh as she pulled the bouquet out of the bucket of water that was resting on the countertop and brought them around to main shop floor, placing them back on display.

Regina found herself wondering if Killian had known he had chosen Emma’s favourite flower or if it was just because they were the first bouquet people could see when they entered the store.

‘Oh yeah, he slipped his own card in here’ Regina said as she plucked the business card out of the bunch of flowers and passed it to Emma, brushing Emma’s shoulder with her hand as she walked behind Emma and returned to her position behind the counter, she returned to taking the thorns from the rose stems but was quickly interrupted by Emma laughing.

‘He’s such a gorm. A poetic gorm but a gorm.’

‘What’s he said?’ Regina asked, she could feel herself getting ever so slightly jealous. And defensive.

‘Swan. I Know you’re queer but perhaps I can change your mind, dear.’

Regina felt herself laughing.

He was such an idiot that Regina couldn’t help but laugh.

‘So, do you think he has a chance?’ Regina asked, barely masking the humour in her voice.

‘I don’t know, I think my girlfriend might kill him.’

‘Oh yeah? What’ll she do?’ Regina asked as she slid a knife along the stem of a rose, removing all the thorns on that one side in one go.

‘That. To his neck.’ Emma said with a laugh.

‘Too damn right.’ Regina replied, grinning.

 

Emma and Regina had begun dating two months ago, almost eight months after Emma had sauntered into Regina’s Florist, asking if she could sit in the shop some days and practise drawing flowers so she could get better at tattooing them onto people.

‘You’re a tattooist?’ Regina had asked, an eyebrow arched as she studied the woman in front of her.

On the surface, as layered as Emma was in her tank, a flannel, a red leather jacket, skin-tight jeans, a grey beanie, oversized thick-rimmed glasses, and heavy boots as long blonde hair spilled in waves across the woman’s back Regina thought Emma was more likely to be a hipster fine art student than someone who spent their days poking other people with ink-dipped needles.

But then Emma had shrugged her jacket and flannel off, turned around and pulled her tank up revealing some of the most intricate beautiful artwork Regina had ever seen decorating Emma’s back.

‘Yeah.’ Emma said. She turned back to face Regina and showed off her ink-covered abs.

‘These I did myself’ Emma said. Regina got as close as she dared and just saw image after image in fine delicate detail link into one another. Regina’s favourite though was the greyscale feather that rested on Emma’s thigh. Regina had found that one a month ago, in the early hours of the morning in her bed.

Emma had pulled down her tank and then pulled on her flannel, leaving her coat on the upturned bucket besides the counter.

‘So, can I?’  Emma asked

‘Can you what?’ Regina had replied, still thinking about the delicate images as well as Emma’s abs.

‘Stay in here and practice drawing?’

‘Yeah. As long as you don’t get in the way.’

‘I won’t. Is it okay if I sit here?’ Emma said, pointing to the bucket that her jacket was still on.

Regina only nodded before turning back to the half dozen lilies that she had been arranging before Emma had walked into the store.

From then the two had formed a tentative friendship that had turned into a genuine laughter-sarcasm filled friendship that rivalled the longest of friendships and that had turned into a relationship that the two of them were more than happy in. Nothing much had changed between the two of them since they had become a couple – Emma was still Emma, loud and brash and sarcastic and Regina was still Regina, sharp and witty and darkly hilarious. The only difference was that now they went on dates and kissed and usually ended up in one or the other’s apartments after work.

 

‘Regina’ Emma said, looking up from her position on the bucket, watching as Regina tied a satin ribbon around three dozen dethorned Red Roses and slid the card David had written into the bouquet.

‘Yes Emma?’

‘In three years, will you send three dozen red roses to my workplace?’ She asked, teasing tone in her voice and a grin on her lips.

‘No dear,’ Regina replied ‘In three years I’ll send three dozen orchids.’

**Author's Note:**

> Keep going! it's the middle of the week! We can do this!
> 
> as always, everything you guys say in the comments is appreciated and i will (eventually. probably after my deadline this friday.) get round to answering them :)


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